So is it a blessing or a curse to be a high achiever?

I believe that depends on the type of person you are and how you were raised.

For me, both parents had a strong work ethic, achieving a lot in their careers.

However, one thing I have realised at the ripe old age of 40, is that I too have a strong work ethic and want to help people, but it’s not going to be at the cost of sacrificing my health or personal life,

I’ve done that before and I learnt the hard way. Nothing is really worth that because without you, there isn’t anything anyway.

Work is about enjoying what you do and getting immense satisfaction from it.

It’s not all a walk in the park, don’t get me wrong, but it’s about recognising when you’re pushing and questioning what for.

Work smart yes, not hard, and the problem with corporate life is that it doesn’t allow you to do that. That’s why working for yourself is the only option to have success on your terms.

You see; I worked too hard for too long, like many of us are doing. I put the hours in but didn’t really rest or look after myself properly. I strived to achieve, to gain success.

All for the wrong reasons. It was someone else’s agenda and I didn’t have the foresight to look and see what it was I was striving for.

I was a responsible and conscientious career woman in a middle management position with a home to run and I wanted to do a good job.

The problem with choosing my career path and living like that was making me ill. I was unhappy and I was only existing in life, not living, and that is no way to be.

For me being a high achiever is a blessing because it means I’m driven and determined enough to achieve success on my own terms.

I still work to achieve my goals but I work when it suits my life and that means life fits around work, not the other way around.

It’s not perfect and it takes time and effort and pre-planning to pull it off, and I don’t manage it seamlessly every week.

When the sun shines, I don’t want to be chained to my desk and laptop - it’s about enjoying and living life when the moment takes you, or indeed, when you consciously wrap your own business around the lifestyle you living intentionally.